The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-02-05
A SEAMAN'S YARN.
Sensations of a Man Who Got Into tAs
Embrace of a Devil-Fish.

Embrace of n Devil-Fish.
"We were lying about half mile
off the beach at Barbados, overhaul
ing TIE standing rigging" said James
ellis, able seaman, "when the mate
ordered John Webb, an apprentice boy,
and myself into the yawl, which had
been covered and brought around to
the port side, that some painting might
be done Just abaft the mainmast. 1t
was terribly hot day, with the water
very warm and the men having little
energy. The paint was lowered down
to us, and while | used the brush the
boy held the yawl in position. We had
been at work for about quarter of an
hour when the boy suddenly yelled out
in alright, and as | turned to him he
declared that he had seen horrible
looking object pass under the boat, and
SO on under the ship. There are plenty
of strange creatures floating about in
those waters, and patch of sea-weed
will sometimes assume a queer shape.
j laughed at the boys fears, but at the
same time saw how pale and frightened
he looked.
what wanted below there?' called
the mate as he leaned over the rail, hav-
ing heard Webb's cry of alarm.
"1-I saw something go under the
boat, sir
80. you did. Well, if you bawl out
again you'll feel something go under
your jacket"
81 began work again, and had been
at it only three or four minutes when
the yawl heaved away from the ship
Two or three feet, and at the same in
slant the boy screamed out again. His
voice had scarcely reached my ears
when something flashed before my eyes,
something caught my arm and pulled it
down and pinned it fast to my body, and
in five seconds more | knew what had
happened. A devil-fsh had flung one
ofhis arms about me. Webb was scream
ing at the top of his voice, and, as got
look at him, saw that two of the
beasts feelers were clutching him. The
arm or fceler which had reached me
pinned my arm to my side as if in a wise,
making a clean wrap around my body,
and the extreme end of the feeler crept
up along my neck and face Talk of
pain; I never felt any thing like it. The
teeth of bulldog couldn't have hurt
worse. 1t was a burning, biting. blister
ing sensation, as if live coal had been
laid on the flesh. l added my yells to
those of Webb, but before any one came
to the rail l was jerked to my knees in
the boat, and saw that the creature S OBJ
ject was to pull me''overboard. l heard
the boy go down and thrash about, and
then three of the men came to our as
sistance.
1.-The devil-fsh had outwitted him
self. He had gone under the ship and
fastened to her bottom or keel, and as
soon as he began pulling on us, he of
course pulled the yawl close against the
ships side. That closed the gap, and
he could not pull us overheard, although
l think he would have upset the yawl,
for we were both down on her STAR
board side and she was almost on her
beam ends when the men jumped down.
They began to cut and slash and hack
with their knives, and after two or
three minutes they had us free-not Of
the arms, but of the creature. We
were hoisted on board bowling and
grooming, with the feelers still biting,
and they had to be cut from us almost
by inches. Webb got it far worse than
did, as he wore thin cotton shirt
and was barefooted He was bitten on
one foot, both hands, and across the
breast, and it was long two weeks
before he was on deck again. His face
swelled up until one eye was closed,
and the poison made me i'll for many
days. Wherever one of the cups or
suckers took hold, the skin was entirely
taken off, and it seemed as if pins had
been stuck into the raw flesh. A ma
tive doctor brought me some herbs of
which to make poultice, and, though
that relieved the pain and helped me to
get around again, it was months before
| my lace was entirely we'll
1.-The devil-tish minded the loss of
his three arms for only half an hour, at
the end of which time he clutched the
empty boat, half-capsized her and swan
twice around the ship as defiance to
the crew. Two or three musket balls
were fired into him, and he sank out of
sight to be seen no more during our
stay."-N Y. Sun.